Whoopi Goldberg pays tribute to 'her friend' Nichelle Nichols
Whoopi Goldberg delivered a poignant tribute to the late Nichelle Nichols on The View on Monday.
The trailblazing actress, who passed away on Saturday aged 89, was one of the first Black women to play a major role on primetime television as communications officer Nyota Uhura in the 1960s Star Trek series.
Goldberg, who followed in Nichols' footsteps by playing Guinan in Star Trek: The Next Generation, paid tribute to one of her career inspirations during a segment on The View on Monday.
"Nichelle Nichols was a trailblazer, a heroine, and an extraordinary woman - somebody who inspired millions and millions of people, but who inspired me, because I explained when I went to get my gig at Star Trek that Nichelle was the first Black person I'd ever seen who made it to the future," she said.
"She was head of communications. And this show and this woman was the one beacon that said, 'Yes, we'll be there.' And it just made me feel like that was an amazing thing."
The View co-host added that she was "lucky enough" to spend time with Nichols over the years and concluded, "She was my friend and she will be missed."
Deadline reports that Goldberg has previously credited Nichols as her inspiration for getting into acting.
